philosophical synthesis

8/7/2019 Philosophical Synthesis

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Bradan Pitts

November 27, 2007

English 211

Mr. Boone

A Stable Society

In his book Brave New World Aldous Huxley predicts a world based on a caste

system, comprised of genetically engineered individuals. Each individual belongs to

different predestined social class ranging from Alpha, whose members are intelligent,

successful, and attractive, to Epsilon, which are made from birth to perform lowly menial

tasks and are unsightly as well as dull. Other classes exist in between the two extremes,

Beta, Gamma, and Delta, which have their own characteristics and roles in society. As

unfair as this societal structure may seem, all of the individuals are extremely content

with their status and are conditioned to despise any class or labor other than that of their

own. Huxleys society is, in a somewhat ironic sense, stable and perfect. No coups, no

uprisings due to unhappy workers, and no quarreling over power could ever exist,

because every person is happy in his or her current situation and desires no change. The

individuals that do desire nonconformity are removed peaceably and placed in their own

societies to do as they wish. All the members of this society are interdependent, whether

they choose to believe it or not. Alphas and Betas play the power and administration

roles in the society while the Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons are workers.

This futuristic society is not far off. In fact, our society has been meandering

toward this familial predestination even after the end of feudalism. Children are


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following in the footsteps that are set before them, just as the Alphas, Betas, Gammas,

Deltas, and Epsilons have done in Huxleys novel.

As long as man has existed, there have been classes; society has always been

stratified, and members of these castes, for the most part, have abided by the rules of their

classes and lived lives according to the expectations of said separations.

Just as inBrave New World, life is distinct for each class and is carried out

differently. According to Rudy K. Payne, Ph.D.:

One of the biggest differences among the classes is how the world is defined

for them. In terms of socioeconomic status, the wealthy view the international

scene as the world. Those in the middle class tend to see the world in terms of a

national picture, while individuals living in poverty see the world as it

immediately appears (44).

All of these world views have a definite impact on the aspirations and

expectations of those living in each class. The wealthy will pursue careers pertaining to

international interests; the middle class will follow careers that will serve and benefit

their country, and the poor will most likely have local jobs in the areas that they have

been reared in. And through this application of worldviews to careers and societal roles,

an infrastructure develops. The lower and lower middle class form a working class, and

the higher middle class and upper class are looked to in matters of business, politics,

science, and administration. Through the separation of socioeconomic statuses, there

comes interdependence among the classes, especially pertaining to the distribution and

production of resources and currency.


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Indeed, this stratification is the base of societys stability. Each worker,

businessman, politician, and executive knows his or her place and role and obeys the

hidden ordinations of their caste. For the most part, all societal participants are content

with their current status or are unable to rise in class. And not only are members of the

different socioeconomic castes most likely to remain in the same class, but their children

bring with them the hidden rules of the class in which they were raised, forming a sort of

genetic predestination, although there are some who aspire to greater or lesser

achievements (Payne 3).

It is through aspects of society that we see that classes do exist in a manner

similar to that of Huxleys vision and provide structure and stability to our society; in

fact, there is a need for society to be stratified in order for stability to be present, although

not perhaps to the extent of what Huxley describes.


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Works Cited

Payne, Rudy K. A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Fourth Revised Edition.

Highlands: aha! Process, Inc, 1996

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York:

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 1932

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